MADISON, Wis. – That’s 10 losses for Michigan State, the Spartans’ most since the 2010-11 season, and so many of them avoidable with a play here, a free throw there.

The 10th was simply a case of being overmatched on defense.

MSU’s big men couldn’t guard Wisconsin’s national player of the year candidate, Frank Kaminsky. MSU’s Branden Dawson couldn’t guard Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes. And the Spartans couldn’t threaten the No. 5 Badgers on senior day at Kohl Center, falling 68-61 and dropping to 19-10 overall, 10-6 in the Big Ten.

So Tom Izzo’s Spartans have reached the final week of the regular season in a situation comparable to that 2010-11 team, his last to be in danger of disrupting what is now a 17-year NCAA tournament streak. That team had work to do – a Big Ten tourney win over Purdue was its clincher – and so does this one.

MSU hosts Purdue on Wednesday for its senior day, then travels to Indiana on Saturday. The Spartans would be wise to avoid another 0-for-2 week, and they’ll be challenged to recover from the last one.

MSU distanced itself from the bubble with a four-game winning streak and was up six points on Minnesota with less than 30 seconds to play in regulation Thursday at Breslin Center. That blown lead and eventual overtime loss put the Spartans back in a precarious spot, and perhaps contributed to their sluggish play early Sunday.

MSU actually recovered from that start to lead 13-11 midway through the first half, getting some big shots from junior guard Bryn Forbes. But Hayes did what he wanted against Dawson in getting 10 of his 14 points in the first half.

And Kaminsky was thoroughly unstoppable, inside and outside. He had 18 of his 31 in the first half, following up a 28-point outing in a loss to MSU in last season’s Big Ten tournament. He made sure Wisconsin (26-3, 14-2) would not lose for the seventh time in eight tries against MSU.

It was senior day for Kaminsky, Josh Gasser, Duke Dukan and point guard Traevon Jackson, who was out for his 12th straight game with a broken foot. The Badgers looked impressive in continuing their push for an NCAA No. 1 seed – an effort aided by Gonzaga’s home loss Saturday to BYU.